Does Lebron, Bosch, & Wade signing with the Heat mean the party's over for the Magic being Florida's premiere NBA team? (Miami: sales, home)

[OrlFlaUsa]

The Heat have done it, they assembled a strong cast. We all know that Orlando never gets the respect it deserves both on and off the court. Do you think that the recent developments for our NBA rivals to the south means the end of the road for the Magic being Florida's most promising and coveted team? Does this come at a time when Florida's NBA spotlight should have been shining on the new Amway Center, our recent championship contentions, and Orlando playing host to the 2012 All-Star Game? What do you think this means for the Magic, Heat, Florida and the NBA in general?

(Sorry I spelled Bosh, Bosch, but I did mean Chris Bosh)

[GLS2010]

I voted for the 3rd one.

[TehB33nz]

My first reaction to the news was panic! But when I sat back and thought about it, it might not be so bad. First Miami is just one of 30 teams in the NBA, Orlando only plays Miami 4 times, there are 78 other games to be played. Obviously Pat Riley has just pulled of something amazing with the "Big 3". Miami is now the new Cleveland, the team to be fear but with having 3 of the best players in the NBA on one team, it leaves many other NBA teams high and dry. There is still alot to happen in this off season but Cleveland is no longer a threat and Toronto was never really a big competitor in the East and Dwight pretty much owned Chris Bosh and Bosh is not a true center but was utilized as a center while playing Orlando. I do hope the Magic make some kind of move to bring in a decent player as the Magic fell apart playing Boston in the conference finals. The Magic have never been respected or taken seriously so in that respect nothing will change. Let the Magic worry about the Magic and let ESPN worry about LeBron. We will all just have to wait and see what happen should be a great season!

[Shiyen]

magic signed chris duhan who imo is a GREAT pick up for them, orlando still has the best TEAM in the SE BUT the heat also added mike miller that's gone under the radar a bit. but as a die hard cavs fan I can't root for this heat team. as much as the basketball fan in me wants too I'm a cleveland fan first and formost.

[Pete C]

I'm afraid it does...at least for right now. The Magic are not winning a championship with VC out there. Next year he will have another season more or less like his last. This guy relied on his athletic ability for most of his career and does not have much touch around the basket. Now with his legs failing him he has to finesse his shots more. How many times did we see him fail to finish at the rim last year? Not only that but his jump shop suffered last year more than in years past. He will have a better year, but will not be "the man".

The Magic still have a lot of talented players, so of course we can compete. Lewis will have a better year, and hopefully we can pick up some sort of proper power forward so he can play small forward. Nelson is an explosive scorer at times, and we still have a solid squad of shooters. Dwight is a dominating defender and a decent scorer. I mean, we swept Atlanta and Charlotte with this team. However, we will need more. I thought we would go after Gilbert Arenas...a real scorer. If the Magic don't want to take a guy with any sort of issue, we just have to go full-court press on Carmelo Anthony next year. I don't see us getting him though. He will want the spotlight in NY. This team will miss its window if it remains content.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by TehB33nz

My first reaction to the news was panic! But when I sat back and thought about it, it might not be so bad. First Miami is just one of 30 teams in the NBA, Orlando only plays Miami 4 times, there are 78 other games to be played. Obviously Pat Riley has just pulled of something amazing with the "Big 3". Miami is now the new Cleveland, the team to be fear but with having 3 of the best players in the NBA on one team, it leaves many other NBA teams high and dry. There is still alot to happen in this off season but Cleveland is no longer a threat and Toronto was never really a big competitor in the East and Dwight pretty much owned Chris Bosh and Bosh is not a true center but was utilized as a center while playing Orlando. I do hope the Magic make some kind of move to bring in a decent player as the Magic fell apart playing Boston in the conference finals. The Magic have never been respected or taken seriously so in that respect nothing will change. Let the Magic worry about the Magic and let ESPN worry about LeBron. We will all just have to wait and see what happen should be a great season!

I think that is a stretch. When we were making our run to the Finals 2 seasons ago, Charles Barkley was our biggest cheerleader. We had a lot of respect that year, though Cleveland just had a bit more. This past season we still had respect, but it was obvious in the way certain players were playing that we had some issues so people were not picking us to go all the way.

[EndersDrift]

I think Magic had respect back when Penny Hardaway/Horace Grant/Shaq were running the team. Now we've got 1 player. He just can't carry the team on his shoulders. Thats what LeBron learned as well.

Of course I lived in Miami for a while and like them just as much if not more than the Magic. The Heat have won a championship, the Magic haven't. I think the Magic will still reach the playoffs, hell if it goes well it could be Magic vs Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. How sweet a boost to the local economy would that be.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by EndersDrift

I think Magic had respect back when Penny Hardaway/Horace Grant/Shaq were running the team. Now we've got 1 player. He just can't carry the team on his shoulders. Thats what LeBron learned as well.

Of course I lived in Miami for a while and like them just as much if not more than the Magic. The Heat have won a championship, the Magic haven't. I think the Magic will still reach the playoffs, hell if it goes well it could be Magic vs Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. How sweet a boost to the local economy would that be.

That's funny I am in the same boat. I lived in South Florida when the Heat first came into the league and was a die-hard fan. When I recently moved to Orlando it was the first time I ever rooted for another NBA team. It's hard not to pull for the home team and get excited about their run. When I was in Atlanta I still pulled for the Heat as the Hawks just didn't have that same likability that the Magic do. That and they sucked.

I will continue to pull for Orlando because, exactly how you rationed it, I figured Miami and Wade already got a Championship and I enjoyed that moment. I would like to see Orlando get the spotlight now and be here to enjoy that. Miami will have more fans then ever now, and I think the Magic will perform better in the underdog role rather than the defending Eastern Conference Champions role. Combine that with the fact that everyone now will be calling for the Heat to win the division. Hopefully that sparks the Magic to have a chip on their shoulder. This team can grow as is, but I think it will take another major piece to win it all.

[Crane's Rooster]

Ok after sleeping on it I'm ready to give me calm rational reaction. It far differs from my initial reaction of cussing the sky, asking why, and crying like a grown man should not. So here's my take. It's good for some reasons. First, the in-state rivalry will actually be a rivalry again. The heat will no longer be consider just a tune up game, they will likely be the hottest ticket of the season. Secondly, the East will rise. With Miami and the moves in NY and Chi the eastern conference now has 3 very good/elite teams in MIA, ORL, BOS, CHI and a very good ATL and NYK teams also. Finally, sales sales sales.

The bad, on paper the Heat should roll to the Finals. If it pans out the way it should the Heat will be multiple ring winners and take the excitement out of the NBA. Our hopes of always competing for a championship will always be sidelined by the thoughts of always having to go through the Heat. There has been that same sort of mentality to a much lesser extent with the Lakers, but not like this.

My realistic expectation though is that it will not work out for the Heat. It's just way too much ego for one court where the game is only played with one ball at a time. Three stars who are used to being the center of the offense must now learn how to play team ball??? Not an easy transition for 3 guys who for their entire lives have played by their own rules. It worked for Boston because Pierce, Allen and Garnett were mature players who were done with their days of personal glory and just wanted to win rings. I don't believe these three have hit that level of maturity or mindset yet. Finally Karma is BI. I think Lebron leaving Cleveland high and dry the way he did, and the media fiasco leading up to just ensured that the Cleveland curse followed him to south beach and will plague his career. Lebron will not win a championship, the curse of the King has begun.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Great feedback, thanks guys it's been a great thread so far.

Our best chance of winning was in 2009 when we came out of nowhere to beat Boston in a historical game 7, and Cleveland who were already planning to do the Kobe vs. Lebron thing. Remember, we were only a Courtney Lee layup away from winning game 2 against the Lakers and I believe had we not made the insulting decision to replace the PG who got us to the Finals and was in playoff condition with a recovering, not fully rehabbed one, we might have one at least a few of those other games.

2010 was our last chance to close out 21 years at the O-rena with a banner. I was hopeful as we commanded a higher seeding than the year before and made winning look easy in rounds 1 & 2. Don't get me wrong, I had a sinking feeling the whole year about the upcoming playoffs, but I didn't expect what was coming. Last year we threw a Boston Tea Party and roughed up a legendary team, this year they fired back. Ironically, the last game ever played at the old Boston Garden was vs. the Magic & the last game ever played at the O-rena was played against the Celtics.

The Magic look to start off their time at the new Amway Center in style but there's been a hiccup. Regardless of what team in the East picked up Lebron and/or Wade, there was going to be a power struggle formed. However, now that the power, attention, and gravity have shifted to our south, the Magic's new arena and upcoming All-Star game, are second page news stories for the NBA in Florida. Am I still being ridiculous here? I know if Wade & Lebron landed anywhere together, it would been bigger news in the League than what was happening for us. Just seems like it stings a lot more to have this happen right in our backyard. The result would have been the same I guess even if this trio ended up in Bulls, Knicks, or Nets gear right? We'd still have a power shift and instant rivals, just not so close to home.